I thought that a good follow-up to Dan’s Secrets of Hajime Sorayama post (also an early influence of mine) would be to showcase the work of Zdzislaw Beksinski. Perhaps the polar opposite of Hajime Sorayama style is Beksinski’s, and his painting process is actually fairly straight forward. You can glimpse his process by following the links below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbFDKOdFGzA
Zdzislaw Beksinski #83
A quick line sketch/drawing leads to an acrylic underpainting which is finally finished in oils. (I’m going to add here that if you watch the video diary you can also hear Beksinski express his frustration that things aren’t working and that he might paint it out or start over… like we all do at times).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAWm_eKr6UU&t=245s
Zdzislaw Beksinski #85
This rather common method of working certainly showcases the fact that art, while it can be process-driven, doesn’t necessarily rely on a unique process to accomplish a singular and unique result. It is, after all, the vision of the artist that makes the art noteworthy. (I was trying very hard to sound professorial just then).
Everybody Loves Bob
I can remember seeing The Art Of Beksinski many years ago and not noticing or understanding it very much. At the time I was into more smoothly rendered pieces and hadn’t really figured out what I enjoyed doing or looking at. I just did/tried a little bit of everything.
When I finally started trying to come to my own style I began to look more deeply into why I collected the images that I did for inspiration and one thing that I can say influenced me mightily is Beksinski’s sense of texture, rhythm of repetition and willingness to let the work wander into its own direction which was most often left completely unexplained.
Zdzislaw Beksinski #71
Zdzislaw Beksinski dated 1980
Beksinski 1986-88
Whereas H.R. Giger’s artwork might be described as depicting a kind of detached mechanic transhumanism…
H.R. Giger Dark Star detail
I think Beksinski’s work depicts more of rampant organic growth and decay.
Zdzislaw Beksinski #81
Of course the totality of either artists work cannot be described or encapsulated by those few keywords but for me it generally describes some of what I enjoy about their paintings. There is some crossover in their work in some vague ways… repeated form, tortured figures etc.
Zdzislaw Beksinski Untitled
Giger’s influence on media is ever-present and undeniable and it seems that Beksinski’s work has gained a considerable and increasing traction in the last few years appearing, at least as an influence of visual language in video games (notably Scorn), movies (The Empty Man) and television (The Angel Michael in the Evil series).
Scorn still shot
The Empty Man
Still shot from CBS’s series Evil
I think that Beksinski’s influence, while admittedly less overt than Giger’s has become part of the available visual language that artists can transform into their own, more personal expression. In the film and television concept work that I have done, I can tell you that 90% of the direction has had at least one reference to his work and I can see his lineage in many other places as well. Much like you can see Tolkien’s influence on fantasy and of course Giger, undeniably, Beksinski’s echoes seem to be growing louder with time.
Zdzislaw Beksinski #82
Below are a few more links to follow if you would like to explore more:
A few glimpses into his process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbFDKOdFGzA
A few moments of drawing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VruUDk-DwP0
A video collection of his works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBAA7vk2B4M
The official store:
https://www.shopbeksinski.com/
Zdzislaw Beksinski
It’s really interesting how some artists slowly rise from more obscure areas of the art world and start standing out more and more. I’d never heard of him or his work for the longest time though once I did I realized I’d seen it, or at least work inspired by his. Very few people I knew, knew who he was but now he seems more popular than ever. As if not knowing who Beksinski is now seems more odd than in the past.
We (my fiancé and I) were fortunate to come across a great book with a lot of his work in it at a used book store, one of our gems of a find as we collect a lot of art books. Funny enough, we don’t have a Giger book, something we need to fix.
Thanks for the links to the videos, I believe I’ve seen a few of those but not all. I’m starting to slowly branch out into painting more and more and it’s art like his and others that really inspires me to try out new mediums and techniques.
Great post, cheers!